Ex Freelander owner buys Terrano swb

[simonwill69]

Good afternoon on this damp (west Cornwall) bank holiday.

2 months ago, I bought an 03 silver Terrano swb with 30k (30,000) miles from new.

I'd been looking out for a replacement for the Freelander, since the 'automatic' 4 wheel drive packed up 12 months ago. Which is very embarassing when you get stuck!

I do quite a bit of towing,.. caravan, trailers etc and have a few acres of land, so a 4x4 suits my life style.

I almost bought a jeep cherokee as like the Terrano, has selectable 4WD and Low range, but needed a cam belt and at a cost of £630, the seller would'nt allow that in the price ! And of course no cam belt on the Nissan !

Of course there major differences between the landy and the nissan. Here are some and good and not- so- good observations up to now.

GOOD;

Selectable 4x4,
low range.
higher driving position
proper 4x4 feel
'old school' mechanicals
no cam belt
smart purposefull styling
no noticeable turbo-lag

Not-so-Good;

Hard suspension
weak design of internal hand grabs (door handles)
Lack of space (maybe i should have bought the lwb version)
Abs fault at the mo' (hopefully to be resolved under garage's garantee)
high to get in and out
generally less refined than freelandy.

Performance is on a par with the landy

I know some of these points are contradicting, but due to my partner with a bad back and ageing mother, they are included.

If anyone has solutions to any of the points I've made (apart from my mother)
I would be gratefull to be pointed to the right section, till i get used to seaching the forum.

Regards and thanks,

Simon

[rustic]

Terrano spends more time on the road than on the back of a relay truck.
Enough said.


Not a good idea to critise the Terrano on you first post.

[AlexD333]

Well it's fair points, I guess he is entitled to make, although you can always do small mods, some sidesteps might be up your street if the partners back is bad.

Abs sensor will require changing, about 90 squids

Space cant be helped,,perhaps you bought the wrong model

Hard suspension, well, not sure on what suspension yours is running but shop gain, there are many options available for you

Bad door handle issues? I know the center console is not the most clever design but what problems do you have?

These trucks were certainly not made with performance in mind, but we have a very happy forum here, with plenty to learn and read, so snap some pics and let us take a look

[supergnome]

You bought a motor from a dealer without 12 months mot?
Everything you have moaned about was easy to spot before you bought it.
It'll grow on you, you'll be as enthusiastic as the rest of us in a few months. David.

[Sweety]

I had a SWB T2 for over 3 years & never had a problem with a lack of space even with 2 kids & 3 dogs & the boot being taken up by 2/3 with my sound system & only got a LWB as I couldn't find a good condition SWB the same age as the LWB we bought. Driving position of the T2 is spot on for me having such long legs & TBH it's not much higher if at all any higher than a disco to get in/out even my wife can get in/out ok & she is only 5'6" & we don't have side steps. No their not as refined as some motors but I think that's part of their charm but I had quiet motors anyway but at least everything works unlike a landy (yes i've owned one) as for performance a 2.7TDI will normally leave any other 4x4 built at the same time standing even TD5's couldn't get away from my old SWB. TBH I don't find the suspension hard at all but they corner a hell of a lot better than a LR will

[Fez_uk]

The freelanders do drive nice and full time 4x4 it grips on corners very well too.

Welcome to the forum!

[marti666]

[QUOTE=AlexD333;265322]Well it's fair points, I guess he is entitled to make, although you can always do small mods, some sidesteps :


Alex .....recomending manly steps..... what is he's going to do next?...... de-mod his tonka toy....

[Barrbeast]

Welcome bud

[johnb5177]

Well after a long and mixed feeling relationship with the green oval, last year I purchased my T2.
I am pleased, impressed and more than satisfied with just about everything about it.
I can realistically and pragmatically compare it to all the landies, from S1 through all Defender models, to Rangies and Discos, and I don`t think I would willingly go back to any of them after the T2.
I know I may be lucky, and have a good vehicle, but it is a great working tool, and a nice family car.......

[simonwill69]

Morning,
Thanks for all your responses, it's much appreciated.
I appologise if I offended anyone with my obsevations, but spending one's hard-earned, is enough to make me a bit wary.

Here's a pic of the door handles, if this has been covered before, can you point me in the right direction, thanks.

Simon

[rustic]

Originally Posted by simonwill69

Morning,
Thanks for all your responses, it's much appreciated.
I appologise if I offended anyone with my obsevations, but spending one's hard-earned, is enough to make me a bit wary.

Here's a pic of the door handles, if this has been covered before, can you point me in the right direction, thanks.

Simon

Hi Simon, welcome back, apologies for responding to your initial observation I was a bit harsh.
But wait for this.... I have owned my mav from new, for nearly 20 years, you might not know that, but about a thousand members do lol...
So I am rather attached to my Mav
I don't mention it much... but to be fair, I have never had any problems with trim, or anything else for that matter, storage certainly is an issue, when you say compare it to a Picasso, with under floor storage etc, but I have the LWB and I still have a box to keep all the junk in. Even though I don't go off road by intention, I still carry the straps, shackles, jump leads, tyre inflator spade, spare bulbs, etc etc you never know when you will, and I love playing in the snow lol.

For a replacement handle, there are plenty being broken, and several members on here might well have that same trim. Which door(s) ?

Re ride height, many members actually do suspension lifts, so I guess you can adjust the front suspension to lower it a little. ( 10 minute job) But check where it is at the moment.
If you carry a few hundred kg's of rugby players in the back, or bags of sand, the suspension softens up. It can be a bit hard when solo. But then when you consider what the Terrano is capable of, you will see why.

Take care,
best regards,
Rustic

[marti666]

Originally Posted by simonwill69

Good afternoon on this damp (west Cornwall) bank holiday.

2 months ago, I bought an 03 silver Terrano swb with 30k (30,000) miles from new.

I'd been looking out for a replacement for the Freelander, since the 'automatic' 4 wheel drive packed up 12 months ago. Which is very embarassing when you get stuck!

I do quite a bit of towing,.. caravan, trailers etc and have a few acres of land, so a 4x4 suits my life style.

I almost bought a jeep cherokee as like the Terrano, has selectable 4WD and Low range, but needed a cam belt and at a cost of £630, the seller would'nt allow that in the price ! And of course no cam belt on the Nissan !

Of course there major differences between the landy and the nissan. Here are some and good and not- so- good observations up to now.

GOOD;

Selectable 4x4,
low range.
higher driving position
proper 4x4 feel
'old school' mechanicals
no cam belt
smart purposefull styling
no noticeable turbo-lag

Not-so-Good;

Hard suspension
weak design of internal hand grabs (door handles)
Lack of space (maybe i should have bought the lwb version)
Abs fault at the mo' (hopefully to be resolved under garage's garantee)
high to get in and out
generally less refined than freelandy.

Performance is on a par with the landy

I know some of these points are contradicting, but due to my partner with a bad back and ageing mother, they are included.

If anyone has solutions to any of the points I've made (apart from my mother)
I would be gratefull to be pointed to the right section, till i get used to seaching the forum.

Regards and thanks,

Simon

Welcome to the forum Simon, I too was looking at various 4x4 a couple of months ago and choose the Terrano over the jeep but I got a LWB for extra storage when towing the van....on the plus it seems I need to do nowt (apart from change fuel filter after a couple of tanks )for it to run on veggie.....

Martin

[Banshee]

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread, its slipped under my radar :soh

Look forward to see the progress you make with it Simom and see if you start to feel in love with it!!!